Founder and owner of Dogwood Entertainment, Ally Marman Mueller ’05, a political science major, produces custom props for film, television, and live events.
As the founder and owner of Dogwood Entertainment, Ally Marman Mueller ’05 faces challenges like, “How much should we charge this client who wants us to manufacture a 13-foot-tall Highland cow?”
Dogwood Entertainment produces custom props for film, television, and live events. Mueller, who was on the pre-med track before becoming a political science major at Muhlenberg, got into the business after holding positions in social work and fundraising. When she had kids and moved to New York’s Hudson Valley, she sought a role outside New York City to be closer to home. A position as a producer for a local Halloween event piqued her interest, so she applied and got it.
“I just fell in love. It was mayhem all the time — things were going wrong constantly, but it was always about problem-solving and creativity,” she says. “You’re trying to create a memory for people, so you’re weighing in on these design elements but also having to worry about budget, where you’re going to place staff, how you’re going to put this together, how you’re going to break it down and store it. I loved it.”
She founded her company in 2017 and has 12 year-round employees, with up to eight more helping in the busy season (from Halloween through Christmas). One of her largest clients is Monster Mini Golf, a chain of indoor mini-golf courses in the U.S. and Canada that is adding 25 locations over the next two years. In April, Mueller oversaw the installation of her company’s set pieces in the Allentown location that opened two miles from Muhlenberg’s campus.
“You’re trying to create a memory for people, so you’re weighing in on these design elements but also having to worry about budget, where you’re going to place staff, how you’re going to put this together, how you’re going to break it down and store it. I loved it.”
Muhlenberg Magazine: What’s challenging about what you do?
Ally Marman Mueller ’05: We do so much custom work. It’s so hard to truly estimate what it’s going to cost and how much time it will take because we hardly ever do the same thing twice. Even if we’re doing something similar, it’s still going to be different. It challenges us, design-wise. There are only so many ways you can do an “Alice in Wonderland” scene. There are only so many ways you can make a dinosaur. Every time, you’re just pushing yourself.
A peace sign crafted for the Keinemusik festival
MM: What has Dogwood Entertainment gotten from its work with Monster Mini Golf?
AM: It’s been really good for us because our company is very seasonal. We do a lot of Halloween and a lot of Christmas, and what [Monster Mini Golf’s owner] brings to us is year-round. So in our quieter months, we can run these props for him, get them prepped, get them painted. It keeps my staff busy. It keeps us going. It was cool to go back to Allentown and see how things have evolved and grown there.
MM: How has your career journey surprised you?
AM: I had absolutely no idea that I would have ended up here. I’m 41 years old. At 18, I thought I was going to be a doctor. I was 1,000% wrong. Ironically, the reason I ended up officially leaving the pre-med track was because of chemistry, and we use chemicals all the time. In our chemistry room, we have casting chemicals and spray foams and silicones, all kinds of stuff. That was the reason I left, but that’s what I do almost every day now.
Founder and owner of Dogwood Entertainment, Ally Marman Mueller ’05, a political science major, produces custom props for film, television, and live events.
These student-athletes used their extra year of eligibility to compete for their teams while pursuing master’s degrees from the School of Graduate Studies.
